I never wanted to go to Spain. Actually, I was a huge fan of northern countries: they are cleaner, more organized, more beautiful. As for Spain - I thought it was too hot there, the cities seemed to be not so clean, the people - too talkative and a bit weird. On top of that, they kill bulls. And I am pretty sure I wouldn't have gone to Spain if I hadn't received an invitation for a long-term business trip.

Now, it's been two months since I came to Barcelona. Almost everything I had thought I knew about Spain turned out to be wong. Barcelona is an awesome city. The nature is amazing - Spain has stunningly beautiful mountains with green forests and waterfalls. And, most important, the people - they are friendly, open and nice. I don't speak Spanish, and people here rarely speak very good English, but with many of them I have had better conversations than I usually have with people who I have known for years, the people who speak my native language.

Now I'm wondering, what if I hadn't gone to Spain? Well, I would have kept living in my stereotyped world. I wouldn't have encountered these amazing people, and I wouldn't have experienced something new.

And now I am sure that sometimes we have to try the things we think we don't like. Not only because this way you can discover something new that you actually do like - but also because it is the way to keep learning new things about the world, and about yourself.

By the way, back to bullfighting. It turns out that many Spaniards hate it and feel ashamed because of it. And in some regions of Spain it's already banned.